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World Gone By 11/27

• Judge George D. Abel, 68, prominent Grays Harbor attorney for 26 years and superior court judge 14 years, died unexpectedly at his Montesano home last night.

He was a member of a prominent family of Harbor attorneys, his two brothers W.H. Abel of Montesano and A.M. Abel of Aberdeen, practicing in this county.

• Captain J.L. Wiley of Montesano looked back 35 years and replayed old-time football games in his mind yesterday after reading in The World Wednesday night an account of the Thanksgiving Day game of 1902 as remembered by Judge R.E. Taggart and printed in an early day issue of The Bulletin.

“Hoquiam beat us 6 to 0, and put six Aberdeen men in the hospital or bed with injuries. Judge Taggart played in that game and as I remember it had three broken ribs at the end of the game while Charley Thompson, whose father operated the Gem Cafe, had a badly twisted leg.”

• M. M. Stewart, Aberdeen pioneer, revealed today he will dispose of about 300 acres of Wishkah Valley land by transferring deeds of 15 tracts averaging 20 acres each to Grays Harbor residents. The land will be secured by paying the taxes, surveying costs and cost of conveyance.

The property is located a half mile from the end of the East Wishkah Road and is not further from the city hall than the Hoquiam paper mill.

50 years ago, November 26/27, 1962

• History was made and football was given the coup de grace in Olympic Stadium Saturday as Senior Tri-Hi-Y girls defeated the juniors 18-6 in the first — and possibly the last — annual Powder Puff gridiron contest.

Ostensibly the game was flag, not tackle football, but bruises and battered beauties trodding Hoquiam High School halls today can attest to the savagery of play.

Although the Power Puff spectacular is not expected to replace the annual turkey day game, some 1,500 fans were on hand. Fan enthusiasm was whipped up by “Song Queens” John Callahan, Ed Rydman, Bill Warbington and Mike Quigg and yell “Dukes” Connie Warthen and Georgia Galloway.

• For more than 40 years, Norman Moe of Aberdeen has built and repaired commercial fishing boats. Recently he built a main mast for a 16th century galleon. This week he is traveling to California to replace the bowsprit of the Golden Hinde, a replica of the ship Sir Francis Drake sailed around the world between 1577 and 1580.

It was Moe’s reputation working on wooden boats that brought him to the attention of the captain of the Golden Hinde when it stopped at Grays Harbor earlier this year.

The captain had become concerned about the integrity of the ship’s main mast. It had been in service since the replica was built in 1972 and he suspected dry rot had made it unsound.

Moe said he was honored to be asked to work on the Golden Hinde and especially like working with the two riggers the owners of the ship flew in from England to re-rig the mast.

• Grays Harbor College’s fifth “Madrigal Feate” opens its doors on Monday evening for the dress rehearsal with a light dinner and the Yuletide musical entertainment.

The traditional Renaissance event will continue Tuesday evening through Sunday will all proceeds going to the college’s music department fund.

Anyone holding a ticket for the sold-out performances they would like to see is asked to contact the college as there is a waiting list for tickets.